Thrify Gifty Santas Challenge 2012

mum2one

Mary - keep fingers crossed that you finally get some answers, ur very well organised with the cards, they sound fab.

I have just lost the plot with ebay, just listed 27 items, hopefully a fair wack will go! xx

rufusdog52

I hope you get somewhere too Mary. If you do the applique by hand you could always do blanket stitch around the out side to hold the bits down. Those pansies were not that hard actually, I had the out lines drawn on the fabric first and it was a case of colouring them in with the threads just doing straight satin stitches.

Mum2one, good luck with the Ebaying. I wish I could find something to sell on there, everyone on the other thread seems to be doing so well, we are so uncluttered in our house that we dont have anything laying about that we dont use or might use.

mrs-moneypenny

mum2one sending you hugs as things sound really hectic for you i hope you get the answers you want and info stops being passed on like that.
mary you sound fantastically organised i bet the cards look lovely.I ohpe the letter does come and you get the answers you want.
been trying to tidy and declutter over last week flylady i aint but something needs doing to this house so ive been taking tips from their thread and just really looking for a system. so the lounge kitchen bathroom and our room got sort of deep skimmed last week and going to tackle youngest DS bedroom this week. the cupboard under the stairs is where all my stash is stored but that will take a whole week on its own!
knitted a little hat for one of my new nieces over the weekend just got to sew a little motif on the front and i can post it off

mary-op

Hello all :j

rufus - thanks for the tip. I do normally do blanket stitch round the edge of little fabric hearts. Thought about doing applique today but changed my mind and started on another primitive type cross stitch. All was well till I realised the last line of wording was smaller than when I started ! So, unpicked it and did it again. Seemed to take and age to do and I still haven;t totally finished it.
I'll have to look out for some patterns with pansies on and have a go. It's the only way I'd be able to do them I think. Years ago I could have done but times gone by and I think I've lost the knack.

Hope you''re all ok

rufusdog52

Morning all

I had a good afternoon yesterday for bargains. I was saying I wanted something for middle GS for his birthday. Well, he loves books and I was reading the Grabbit board and saw something about WH Smith selling bundles of books so I went to have a look. I got two bundles of boys books, there are 5 books in each bundle, one is Beast Master and other is Captain Underpants. They were just £4.99 each and I found a code for 10% off and had them sent to my local store so no postage. 10 books for £8.98. The books were a lot more than that each when they were new out, I should think at least £5 so a great saving.

I was looking on Ebay too for the Alex Rider series as I thought he would like them too, found someone selling a tin of 6 books so put a bid on and won the set for £7 inc pp, looked on Amazon and they are selling the same set in the tin for £50. So I reckon I got £100 worth of books for £16. Well that is what I have put on my spreadsheet lol.

I might even save the Beast Master books for the eldest GS's birthday later in the year or even for Christmas, I will see when I get them.

I am off out today, my favourite fabric shop is having a sale so I have talked my bro and sil to take me over there so I can stock up.

rufusdog52

I got some lovely fabric in the sale today, really pleased with it all. I can get on with some more cushions now. My Sil took me back to hers after and my Bro had bought a box of fabric he saw on the internet, contains assortment like a lucky dip. She gave me some out of it, enough to make three tops out of.

Had an email from the ebay seller I got the books off for GS. There are six books and they come in a tin. They said they had to post them second class instead of first as they hadnt weighed them and when they got to the post office it cost them more to post seconc class even than I had paid for the lot including the books and pp together. They said they were fine with it as long as I was as I had paid for first class but its fine with me. Their fault, they should have weighed them first.

Anglea

Hi everyone

I've been awol and just read over the last upteen pages of interesting posts.

It's DS2's birthday tomorrow, he's having a party at the care home and on another week will be taken to a pop concert by his support worker.

I told the family not to put money in with his cards, as I planned to give him his birthday money in his usual collage envelopes next week when he's on a home visit as he'll probably feel overwhelmed tomorrow as he'll be getting a lot of things at once. I've got him a bag of treats and his brother bought something which is still in his car.

However a few cards turned up in sealed envelopes with cash or cheques today.

This means I will have to slit them open and put the money into the picture envelopes and keep the cheques back. I musn't go to bed tonight without doing this or it will be a scramble tomorrow.

SugarSpun

I've been a bit AWOL too, but very busy I managed to finish all my January challenges, then we went to the UK for a week, now my parents are here visiting so it's all a bit hectic.

I currently have £78 and change in my Amazon account ready for the last Christmas present. It's for DH and costs £79 plus £15 postage, so almost there :j

Hope you got the cards sorted Anglea, and mum2one hope you can get the court stuff and Cafcass sorted, must be such a nightmare and it's gone on so long.

mum2one

Santas Challenge - January (soz its a bit late!)

Presents

Hopefully we manged to hit the sales, and get a few bits and bobs, or even half the list, whether we have more wrapping paper than WHSmith did or more toilettries than Boots....

Without sounding daft, make sure your lists are updated, and more importantly there put somewhere safe...
(We're still looking for 400 xmas cards which disappeared in the loft 2 yrs ago!)

Cards

Definately think Mary and Susan have beaten me to this one, if your making cards, whether there for Christmas or Birthdays, do your list, see whether you need any bits and bobs and break your list up, so you don't feel like you have to do them in one go.

Recycle / regift / remake

If your like me and have had to regift some items, I love bubble bath, but unfortunately as we only have a shower bit stuck!! pop a note with it who u had it off, so you don't recycle back!

Can you reuse anything from this Christmas, Miss Hoodie has made Christmas tags from the old Christmas cards

VistaPrint

I've done a list of items that I want, but dn't forget the freebies on the emails, every penny saved is a bonus

Lists and Budgets

Double check your lists, and your budgets, is there anyone you feel that you don't need to buy for, or at least reduce the budget...

Miss Hoodies Corner

As Miss Hoodie, seems to like the cleaning challenge, I've decided to rename this section, Miss Hoodies corner...
and its ... THE FREEZER....AND THE FRIDGE.......
hopefully we have finished off all those lovely turkey dishes, and the brussel sprouts have been banished away for another year.

Theres a part two to the freezer challege - who can make the oddest meal from the freezer.

Winter Weather

Touch wood, we have had the mild weather, but there seems to be snow in the air, so make sure we've all got our winter woolies, and wrapped up warm.

Take care everyone, and heres to a money saving and a very organised 2012. Thank you to everyone who made the thrify thread so successful in 2011 xx

mum2one

Don't forget the bargains, - Miss Hoodies got her friend coming round on Sat, its the nicer one of her 2 friends, so Sat morning were off to Movies for juniors, very mse as £1 each, got drinks and sweets all ready... thou I may need a packet of tissues were off to see Dolphin Tale, and I sobbed my heart out last time!!
Left instructions for mum to cook dinner, shes doing the kids Shepherds Pie, then we haven't told them yet, we had a half price deal for 2 games bowling £13 instead fo £26, 2 games, family of 4.
Think with everything she needs a treat, know she'll love it, then Sunday, off to a party, my college tutors 60th.
Then the big show down on Monday, so fingers crossed... miracles needed. xx